Apps for High School Students

Educational App Store have identified the best apps for high school students to help them study and also save their time
in the classroom.
From sticking to deadlines to having the meaning of the most complex
of words on your fingertips to support students with exam revision, we have compiled a list of apps to
make a student's life a lot smoother.

Choose from a range of apps that have been reviewed by fellow teachers. Whether you’re looking
for English, maths, languages or science apps; we have a range of free
and paid-for high school apps for students to learn and for teachers to support them in the school.

The application ‘PDF Reader Pro - Sign, Edit PDF’ is a versatile PDF Reader for users who wish to read, highlight, sign and fill out PDFs on their mobile devices. This feature packed application is ideal for personal use and business and is free from in-app adverts and in-app purchases. The app ‘PDF Reader Pro - Sign, Edit PDF’ is a one time paid application and supports over 50 languages. This application is also available on an iOS/windows platform where the user can find an array of other unique features.

The application 'Brain Kids' is an entertaining brain training app for children aged 7 and above. The application offers a number of brain training games that can be played by both children and parents. The application has three books where the first chapter of each can be played for free. Further chapters can be purchased within the app. The application is free from in-app adverts and supports three languages English, Chinese and Thai.

The ability to solve problems and think in new ways is as important as the knowledge of how to read or do maths. The developers of MentalUP have devised a series of brain games that expose learners to new types of problems and the different ways of thinking required to solve them.

Equate is an app which collates a library of over 400 useful equations spanning across several subjects, and enables the user to initially solve problems, and then challenge themselves with questions to apply their understanding and to build confidence in using these formulas. Equate formulas cover Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Economics, and are suitable for a variety of age ranges dependent on the subject specifications taught. The app is supported by individual Youtube links specific to the equation chosen and Wikipedia pages to help the user expand on their understanding and offer instant support.

The application flowkey is a series of courses to help people from the very beginnings to the more able develop their piano skills. It is aimed towards any student wanting to develop their understanding and keyboard skills, and covers not only the skills to play the keyboard, but also the theory behind this, development of this as a musician, and a range of songs to work through. The display is very simple to navigate and understand, and the course is really interesting and versatile.

The application ‘S’moresUp – Best chores App’ is a modern-tool for modern-day parenting. The application offers a number of key features that enable parents, single-parents and guardians to manage everyday activities such as chores, family calendars, rewards, a playdate planner, goals and so much more. The application is free but requires a user account for full accessibility. The application is free from in-app adverts and in-app purchases.

The application ‘Qustodio’ is an application for monitoring mobile, tablets and desktop use for parents, schools and businesses. The platform is free to download with a number of different pricing plans according to the number of devices you desire to monitor. The application has in-app purchases and needs to be downloaded for those who are monitoring the devices as well as those who own the device.

Word Beach is a word puzzle game that will work the brains of adults and children alike as well as entertain them. Learn the spellings of new words, be reminded of the spellings of non-standard words, and see patterns in the use of letters.

From visiting the developer’s website it explains that this app is aimed at helping students in their preparation for taking the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE. This is a computer-based program that a large number of graduates take in the US and its aim to help gain a better understanding of their potential in the workplace.
Within the test there is quite a large emphasis on the ability to understand and use English language correctly, and so this app helps students in this by aiding them in areas such as reading comprehension and the ability to write successful, detailed essays.
The app is described as focussing on the 440 most frequently encountered words on the GRE and its aim is to help those graduates wishing to undertake the test a multi- sensory approach to this. The app is clearly aimed at this purpose and these reasons, however, that does not mean that the content and the approach cannot be used to help other users from improving their own abilities in regards to the English Language regardless of whether they are taking the test or not.

The application Somona teaches English pronunciation. It is aimed at those whose first language is not English and wish to improve their vocabulary and pronunciation in a fun and unique way. This application is free from in-app adverts and does not require a constant Wi-Fi connection. The application requires the user to purchase lesson content.
‘Somona’ was designed by Marcus Nealy, programmed by Peter Jacobs and directed and owned by Naomi Nealy.

The application ‘Theory Works’ is a course of explanations and exercises to work your way through the theoretical understanding in preparation for music theory exams with ABRSM. It is aimed towards any student that is looking to improve their theoretical understanding, but particularly those who are completing the ABRSM exams, from Grades 1 to 5. The display is very simple to navigate and understand, and needs no further instruction. The use of the explanations are helpful, aided by diagrams where suitable, and further exercises to practise. This app is designed to give students some interactive enjoyment when improving their theoretical understanding, with instant feedback and recognition for accurate answers, without necessarily having a music theory teacher, or to aid alongside this.

Conjugato is an independent-learning, language-learning app that comprehensively enables learners to see, practise, interact with and, subsequently, understand 1000 of the most commonly used Spanish verbs across all tenses and moods. The verbal content can be customised to complement the extent of the user’s understanding of Spanish verbs: by refining the tenses, moods, verb forms, and indeed the verbs to be studied themselves. It is a personalised Spanish verb chart that is comprehensive in its content and, through repetition of use, will be an asset for any linguist.

The course Voxtrain is a vocal training class. It is aimed towards any student interested in understanding their voice and improving their singing from absolute beginnings, to developing the complexities and understanding the depth of singing through use of breathing, tone and control. The display is very easy to navigate and understand, and needs no further instruction. The use of the videos is engaging and helpful, aided by diagrams where suitable, and further exercises to practice. This app is designed to give students some interactive enjoyment when improving their singing, without necessarily having to have a singing teacher too, and being able to practice in their own home.

The application Boomerang Parental Control is a unique piece of software that gives parents remote control of their non-iOS devices. This application is also available on the iOS platform however there are some limitations.

This is a fantastic language app aimed at helping young people improve their language abilities. Through focussing on the building of sentences and employing aspects of gamification, the app encourages users to challenge themselves in a game environment to match words together to form a sentence. The way the game works is to give the user a number of words and for them to then unscramble and form into a full sentence within a time limit with the added challenge of losing time when an incorrect answer is chosen.
One of the most appealing aspects of the app is the fact that it can used by a number of different people with different abilities in the English language. For instance, it works really well as an app for younger children who already have a certain level of proficiency in reading and writing to improve their understanding, but older users can also access the app on a different level especially if they have English as an additional language and are wanting to improve their proficiency too. It could also be used for more top level students too who again want to continue to enrich their own abilities. With a whole section of the app dedicated to Proverbs and Sayings, it could even be used by an adult wanting to give themselves a bit of a challenge!

The application News-O-Matic EDU can only be best described as an interactive Daily Newspaper for children. This application is a combination of interactive technology and games along with exciting news articles and creativity. The content within this software is engaging, plentiful and child safe. The application is free from in-app adverts and in app purchases and the content supports various languages. This application is a subscription based service, however, users can try the application before committing to a subscription.

An interesting game for a group, family or class, which is essentially like charades but a little more complex. The person playing the game has to follow a set of written instructions on the digital card that can be a variety of tasks all designed to get them involved and interacting with the group.

TYPESY is an application that supports the unique typing software that will improve your typing speed and proficiency.
In an ever growing society of digital platforms, student e-portfolio assignments and digital dissertations the requirement in school and the working environment to become more proficient in typing has never been greater. This software is free from in-app adverts and has a one-off payment for both home and office. Educational institutions and businesses may benefit from generous discounts when the software is used on a larger scale.

This app links to the popular Reading Eggs website and programme. The programme aims to help young children learn how to read through the fun exploration of different games as they make their journeys through different settings and games. Children learn to read through phonics as they begin the process of learning this important life skill.

ONLYOFFICE by Ascensio Systems is a complete school and business based cloud and on-site document management system. The application is available over a number of platforms and comes in a range of free and subscribed packages. This cloud service is compatible with MS Office formats and comes in at an affordable subscription price compared to others. The application if free from in app adverts and is available in a number of different languages.

The ever-popular adventures of the Thunderbird team form the backdrop to this good-looking app. Navigation and puzzle-solving skills are pushed in the name of providing an international rescue to those in-game characters calling for help.

An almost infinite amount of questions to develop and test students’ maths and english skills for all ages which will test skills learnt and possibly forgotten. Great for revision, the 'Smartscore' system promotes working through the questions, not guessing and the variety of question types is also admirable. Both parents and teachers can make good use of its contents to support their children’s mathematical development. A subscription to IXL Maths - English is required to use it.

Qlango is a language learning app that enables you to learn your chosen foreign language from scratch or as a revision tool, making use of a compelling range of activities. It makes use of an impressive variety of European language pairs, in multiple combinations.

Smart Vocabulary is an app aimed at growing and refining a student's range of vocabulary in preparation for college entrance tests but anybody who would like to expand their knowledge of lesser-used words could also learn a lot from it.

Elephant Learning is an application available on iOS, android and a web-based platform. It claims to be the most effective Math Learning Platform ever invented because the application propels learning faster than any other platform and the learning lasts longer. The application supports student from the age of 2-16 who are struggling with math concepts.
The developers have partnered with the University of Denver to help create ‘Advanced Curriculum Technology’ or ACT for short. The apps are free from in-app adverts and in-app purchases. However, it is noted that the mobile application supports the on-line Elephant Learning platform. This service has a free trial option but is a subscription service for those who wish to use the application on a regular basis, whether that is parents and children or schools and pupils.